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British Based Superhero Comic
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2000ad – 40th Anniversary

on February 14, 2017 at 9:41 am
Posted In: Blog

Hello!

this weekend, the ‘Galaxy’s Greatest Comic’ aka – 2000AD, celebrated its 40th anniversary. It was first published waaaay back in 1977.

Although I’m not a die-hard fan, I’ve always read it. 2000AD had and has ‘edge’. The characters it has introduced have stood the test of time. Dredd, Nemesis, Rogue Trooper… The list goes on. This comic shaped my writing and creations ever since it came into my life.

2000ad 4oth hall

The comic’s publishers, Rebellion, organised a day event in the Novotel hotel in Hammersmith. As part of The Awesome Comic podcast, Vince, Tony and myself were tasked with covering the event. As you read this, the show should have gone live. Have a listen to it by clicking this link.

It was such a fantastic event. Fans were able to to speak directly to their favourite creators, purchase original artwork from the comic and quiz them on the various progs.

I spent a large part of the day looking at artwork artists had brought along, like these spreads from Prog. 2000 by art-droid Chris Weston. The dude is a beast. The photo i’ve taken does not do it justice. Each page looks ike was printed as opposed to done by hand. Even though a lot of my comic is done digitally, I doff my cap to the skill and craftsmanship involved in making these pages. Amazing stuff.

During the day, there were a number of talks and demonstrations, from a ‘live drawing’ on an overhead screen to a screening of a brand new Strontium Dog fan-film, ‘Search and Destroy‘.

By far the best talk of the day was the one with Pat Mills. Hosted by my other host from the ACP, the mighty Tony Esmonds, it was informative and fun. I could listen to Pat Mills talk comics all damn day.

pat mills 2000ad

I managed to speak to Pat, his wife Lisa and their friends briefly about VANGUARD during the evening. I pitched the comic better than I ever had done so before and it went to down pretty well. As the group said our goodbyes, Pat shook my hand and said: ‘Good luck with Vanguard’. Obviously, I then floated home with a massive grin on my face.

Was glad to meet fans of the AC podcast including Sarah (who made the ace Wolfshead figure), Gary from Comics Anonymous, Helper-Droid Gareth (Intercorstal) and loads of other great people.

Along with a slew of mind blowing artistic talent, there was also a number of different props for one to get your grubby mitts on. Here’s a pic of me standing next to a Lawmaster looking awkward.

Dan lawmaster

and fellow ACP host, Vince Hunt brandishing a huge cannon.

Vince Gun

…and me as a Judge.

People commented how good I looked as a dressed as a fascist lawman. I take some comfort from that.

Sadly, there was no mention of Stallone’s definitive take on the character.

But hey, you can’t have everything, right?

Dan

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Pendragon Fan-Art By Sam Webster

on February 7, 2017 at 4:15 pm
Posted In: Blog, Fan Art

Hello!

Received some fantastic fan-art from Sam Webster (JOE CAPE, UNFAMILIAR SKY).

Pendragon Sam Webster

Going to have to commission some peeps to draw some of the other cast, as everyone seems to love drawing Pendragon!

See you tomorrow for the next page update.

Dan

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Figuring out FIGMA

on January 30, 2017 at 11:17 am
Posted In: Blog

Hello again!

There was a recent wave of artist friends of mine purchasing Figma figures in an effort to improve their drawing skills on poses, etc. I saw the bandwagon rolling by and leapt aboard with reckless abandon. I popped onto Ebay and bought two figures. A male and a female.

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I got both at a decent price and the shipping from China was quoted at two months, but to my surprise, it took just over two weeks. Sadly, the toe section of the ladies left foot has gone missing, but suspecting these figures aren’t ‘legit’, I let that slide. To be honest, it doesn’t really affect and poses I’d be making. The figures are relatively robust, but I’d advise against too much rough housing.

I’d literally taken a commission the day before the figures turned up, so thought it’s be a good opportunity to put them through their paces. I set the figure up in a variety of poses and put it to the person who commissioned the picture to decide on the one to use. They chose the following:

Figma

Once that was decided, I drew from the photo as reference. The following is an image with the red lines dropped to black and darkened.

and then went onto inks.

Scanned and 3D element dropped in.

Final version.

Summing up:

Overall, I found drawing using the model handy. While I won’t be using it for absolutely every panel/page/pin-up I do, it certainly has it’s benefits. One didn’t foresee is the being able to use it for light/shadow reference. The muscular sculpt on the model really pays off here. It’s definitely something I will use in future.

My only complaint/warning is that if one were to use this all of the time, there’s a risk that poses/actions will start to look too static and not fluid.

If you’re looking to invest in an artistic tool, you can’t go too wrong with these. The full scale/’proper’ figures will set you back a fair old sum though, so you’ll have to consider if it’s worth investing in.

Any questions on how I got on with this, please ask below and I’ll endeavour to answer 🙂

Dan

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VANGUARD issue 13 launch date

on January 12, 2017 at 9:26 am
Posted In: Blog

Vanguard comic issue 13 returnsVanguard Returns issue 13

Dis gonna be good!

Some new faces and new foes make their appearance in the next issue. Lots of exciting plot twists too. Can’t wait to start telling the story to you 🙂

Dan

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XO Manowar

on January 6, 2017 at 9:02 am
Posted In: Blog

Hello you!

Over the Christmas break, I worked up a picture of XO Manowar. A friend of mine recently got me into the new Valiant trades. They’re absolutely fantastic! Highly recommended.

Xo Manowar

Dan

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